Cold laser devices are low-intensity laser systems, typically comprising a hand-held wand and a generator either separate or integrated into a single housing, that generate low levels of light. Exposing a patient's skin to low levels of light achieves numerous health benefits. During this conventional procedure, the handheld wand of a cold laser device is positioned proximate the patient's skin and different wavelengths and outputs of low-level light are applied directly to a targeted area. When the patient's tissue absorbs the light, red and near-infrared light cause a reaction, damaged cells respond with a physiological reaction that promotes regeneration, and healing occurs. Skin tissue is commonly treated with wavelengths between 600 and 700 nanometers (nm) and, for deeper penetration, with wavelengths between 780 and 950 nm. These devices are also referred to as low-level laser therapy, low-power laser therapy, soft laser biostimulation, and photobiomodulation, collectively referred to as cold laser therapy devices.
While potentially therapeutically effective, existing cold laser systems with handheld wands require a therapist or patient to hold the device at a particular range from the area of skin requiring treatment for many minutes at a time. For example, the handheld wand may be required to be held just above a treatment site for anywhere from 15 seconds to 1 hour. Therapists and patients find it difficult to hold the device in place for such long periods of time. This problem is particularly exacerbated in patients with severe pain or chronic neuropathy, in situations where the device needs to be proximate to the skin, but not touching the skin due to pain, and in situations where the patient is attempting to self-treat but the location of the pain is difficult to reach.
It is therefore desirable to have a system for transforming a conventionally handheld treatment method into a hands-free treatment method. It is further desirable to have a way of securing a cold laser wand to any portion of the patient's body, thereby enabling hands-free treatment in difficult to reach locations. It is further desirable to have a securing system that can accommodate different size wands to enable a clinician to use different therapeutic modalities. It is also desirable to have a securing system that can adjust the distance of the wand head from the patient's skin to allow for a range of different exposure distances and to better capture and direct light from a device to the patient's skin. Additionally, because many chronic neuropathy patients suffer from sensitivity to touch (allodynia), it would be beneficial to have a system that would alter the distance of the device from the patient's skin while not unduly exposing the patient's skin to abrasive or undesirable materials.